Musicians Way More Likely to Be Depressed and Anxious, Study Shows

“Working in the music industry might indeed be making musicians sick,” reports survey by the University of Westminster and the charity Help Musicians UK

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Musicians and music industry professionals may be more than three times more likely to suffer from depression than the general public, according to a new study published by Help Musicians UK, a charity for UK musicians. The report, titled “Can Music Make You Sick?,” is based on a survey of 2,211 people by the University of Westminster and its music-business think tank, MusicTank. The bulk of participants identified themselves as musicians, with live crew, music management, and audio production among other roles represented. Of all respondents, 71% reported they have experienced anxiety and panic attacks. Another 65% reported they had suffered from depression. By comparison, 19% of the general UK population over the age of 16 suffers from anxiety, depression, or both, according to the latest official data.

These preliminary findings also suggest that “working in the music industry might indeed be making musicians sick,” according to the report. Reasons cited by respondents for their mental ill-health include “poor working conditions,” such as “the difficulty of sustaining a living, anti-social working hours, exhaustion, and the inability to plan their time/future.” Another factor cited by survey participants was “a lack of recognition for one’s work and the welding of music and identity into one’s own idea of selfhood.”

Respondents also noted the physical effects of a music career, including musculoskeletal disorders. Another set of factors cited by respondents was “issues related to the problems of being a woman in the industry—from balancing work and family commitments, to sexist attitudes and even sexual harassment,” the report says.

One respondent wrote: “My depression is made worse by trying to exist as a musician … Rarely has playing music been detrimental to my health, quite the opposite … but the industry and socio-economic pressures … make this a f*****g s**** industry to try and make a living in.”

Another opined: “I’m not sure I’d say it’s the music that makes me sick. It’s the lack of things I’d consider success. It’s the lack of support doing something that’s not considered ‘real work.’”

The next phase of the study will “delve deeper into these issues and then explore a range of solutions,” according to the report, which adds, “Help Musicians UK hopes to launch a nationwide mental-health service for those in the music industry in 2017.”